Crossing the Bridge

Today I journeyed to the West Side and visited the renowned West Side Market.  I had such a great experience; I had forgotten what a cool and unique treasure the West Side Market is.  A lot of what I experienced  today was expected-the amazing fresh produce, the stomach-turning images of cows tongue and pigs feet in the meat shop, and the hustle and bustle of the shoppers in the market.  However, I had two major thoughts today that never crossed my mind on my previous third-grade venture to the market with my class.

Here are my two food for thoughts:

1.       The Culture

Prior to my visit today, I was aware of the fact that that the West Side is a cultural hotbed, with a conglomeration of many different ethnic groups, rooting back as a popular home for many immigrants. However, I think the level of authentic culture in the West Side is somewhat underappreciated now by many teenagers in the Cleveland area. Personally, I rarely go to the West Side, and honestly, I usually only “cross the bridge” to watch the Browns preseason training camp. However, today, walking around the market and hearing all different accents, smelling all different types of foods, and seeing different ethnic family last names on the store fronts, it really put in perspective how rich the culture is. It was awesome engaging in such a diverse environment and I plan on “crossing the bridge” and exploring the area more this summer.

2.       The Stories

My trip today also illuminated another major element of the West Side Market that I never realized until today. Almost every stand at the market was family owned and operated. While this does not seem like that revolutionary of a discovery, after talking to many stand owners, it really put everything in perspective. These people work day in and day out and will try almost anything to sell you another box of strawberries. They take so much pride in what they do and what they sell; their passion and determination are transparent. I met a lady who owned a spice stand at the market, and we chatted as she helped me from behind the counter. She spoke fragmented English, but shared the story with me about how she and her family moved to the U.S, opened the spice stand here in the market, and have not looked back ever sense.  She has pictures all around her stand of famous Cleveland faces buying her spices. She spent close to half an hour helping me pick out the perfect hot sauce gift for my brother.

In the past, all I was focused on during my West Side Market visits was what cool candies I could find, and how silly all the dead fish looked at the fish stands. Not to sound trite or cheesy, but this time I genuinely felt something different. I wanted to buy something from each stand, help out each bustling salesmen, and learn just exactly how “Magyar Kolbasz’ Meat and Cheese” came into business. I encourage anyone if you have the time to revisit the West Side Market- you will learn a lot, have an awesome time, and have one heck of a lunch!